Fun, Family & Fabulous Food: Hollie & Seán (& Mr Noah Mac)

I always get a bit excited when a couple say that one of their biggest priorities for their wedding was 'fun'. And as you'll see from Hollie & Seán's real wedding, their day was focused entirely on showing themselves and their families a great time. After 17 years of highs and lows together - among them, family bereavements, a few missed connections throughout school and college, and their gorgeous seven-year-old son, Noah - this pair deserved one hell of a celebration, and I'm so glad they got it! With lots of DIY touches, great style, and plenty of ideas you'll want to borrow for your own big day (see: Hugfest!), take your cue from this cool couple, their Beech Hill Country House wedding, and their fab photos by Holly & Lime Photography.

Hollie and Seán met way back in 1999. Hollie had just moved back from the States to start first year at St. Columba’s College, in Stranorlar, Co. Donegal. “All my classmates had been told they were getting this new “American” girl in their class to say they were less than impressed when a ginger girl with a Donegal accent walked into the room would be an understatement!”

Hollie describes her first impressions of Seán at St. Columba’s, “He was always a little....strange but very cute! I had pages and pages in notebooks filled with Hollie hearts Seán. It would be a while before Seán took any notice of my existence though haha! Embarrassingly we had our first kiss during a local Finn Harps football match behind a local chip shop!”

As the years passed, Hollie & Sean would “bump” into each other from time to time, (Hollie added the inverted commas, not me!) but nothing was ever serious, “We both went off to college in 2003 and I thought the days of the Sean McIvor era were over, that was until he dropped out of his first year of uni and then decided to also do graphic design at the same college as me. I almost had a lucky escape! He maintains I mostly ignored him throughout college but I had a boyfriend and no interest in turning back time!”

It took a night out a Voodoo nightclub in Letterkenny in 2007 to finally bring these two together, “I really wish it was more romantic than this! This time we were both single and the planets must have aligned or something but I’m so happy they did! Sometimes that spark reignites!”

The couple say they went full steam ahead from then, and had their little boy in February 2009, “Mr Noah Mac! Be careful what you wish when you’re 13 hahaha! We’ve been through a lot together. Sean is an amazing Daddy and it’s been the best time being young parents and watching Noah grow! It was such an amazing treat to have him at our wedding!”

Such a nifty idea for an alternative ring cushion!

Hollie said she loved including moments with her dad in the day, “We didn’t think we would be such a sucker for sentiment but I really enjoyed traditions like dancing with my dad. If you’re lucky enough to have your dad on your wedding day, why the heck not! Another thing I wanted was dad to be able to drive us to the chapel, so he borrowed an old Golf so it meant it was just me and Dad on the way to the chapel that morning, which was just perfect!”

Seán's sweet job (literally!) played a big part in his proposal to Hollie, “Sean is a sweetie man, well he works in a Sweetie Wholesalers. So on Christmas Eve 2014 Sean presented me with a box. I hadn’t a clue what it was but secretly hoped it was a trip away as he had had quite a few failed gifts and I thought this is finally something good!”

Seán had a clever trick up his sleeve, “I opened the box to find an old phone box with a Kinder surprise princess egg sitting there too. I was so confused (still hoping for that trip) then he insisted I opened the egg, which was all sealed and when I opened where the wee toy should be, there was a ring! He got down on one knee, sweetie man through and through he had remelted the chocolate so I wouldn’t know it had been tampered with!” Now that is effort!

Hollie says there was a few details throughout her and Seán’s day that made it extra special for them, “As Sean’s dad had passed away I bought him a little silver locket as his wedding gift, I put a two pictures of his Dad, Barrie, in the locket so he could have him with him on the day. I wore my Granny’s necklace, she was my Godmother and just so happened the stone in it was blue!”

There were also lots of personal touches in the ceremony, “We had my sister sing both the psalm and first dance which was incredible, I’m so grateful to her for that. Our priest, Fr. Boland, had everyone cross sides and give each other a hug or a handshake which was amazing, as it got both sides to embrace each other - we were calling it a hugfest! Our confetti was cherry blossom petals hand-dried by aunt in America, she even dried some blue hydrangea petals just for Noah so he had his own blue confetti to throw at us and packed it and shipped over to Ireland!”

So many thoughtful details (definitely borrowing ‘hugfest’ for future reference!).

The caped effect on Hollie's dress is so glamorous - and just look at those gorgeous blooms!

Hand-dried confetti - such a lovely touch!

How gorgeous are these embellished bridesmaid dresses - so unique!

The couple describe their wedding at Beech Hill Country House as laid-back luxury. “The feeling of the day was just laid back and full of love and fun! A family affair, we are so lucky to have to many talented relatives who were so willing to help us out on the day. We placed such a massive importance on having everyone there for a good time!”

The couple had a list of priorities for their big day, “Good music, style, fun, drink and good food.” Sounds like the makings of a pretty great wedding!

Hollie and Seán say that after some family tragedies in recent years, they wanted to make sure they made the occasion full of happiness and fun. “We set ourselves a budget and whatever we could make or style ourselves we did. I’m a graphic designer so was able to make and do a lot of different aspects… there were so many eBay and Amazon orders!”

Hollie and Seán say the decision on where to have their wedding was an easy one, “We chose Beech Hill County House because of the stunning setting, food and location. It wasn’t too far to travel on the day. The Country House is just stunning & can accommodate for such a variety of weddings, small, large, house, marquee, woodland they have it all!”

Hollie would make you pretty hungry talking about the food she and Seán had for their wedding, “The food at Beech Hill is amazing. It’s the best wedding food we’ve come across. Patsy was so accommodating and willing to switch things up a bit for us. We had the most delicious canapés on arrival, an incredible buffet style meal, and we used our wedding cake as dessert. Patsy was so informative when we were making our menu choices and offered superb meal recommendations!”

Music was another big priority for the couple, “We wanted lots of dancing, and my cousin’s band were just what we had always imagined. They kicked the wedding off with an amazing start and then we had a DJ in the evening playing the best of cheesy pop and 90s chart!”

Cool photobooth set-up! And it matches their cake topper!

Hollie’s advice for other couples? “Don’t sweat the small stuff, it’s just that small stuff! No point planning for two years to miss your day by stressing over little trivial details. Things will go wrong, get lost or forgotten, but on the day it won’t even matter! Enjoy all the celebrations and excitement on the run up to the big day! Involve loved ones where you can! Be present in the day, steal a little 15 minute break with your new husband or wife in the evening - the day goes by in a flash! Have the things that are important to you & forget the rest! Dance and party the night away!” This lady knows her stuff!

Seán & Hollie had a clever way of including their son in their honeymoon, “We split our honeymoon fund with a family holiday to New York with Noah Mac, and then we went away for a five night stay in Ibiza just the two of us, which was like a little piece of paradise!”

This pair and their personalised wedding day are giving me all the feels! Thanks so much to Hollie & Seán, and cool kid Noah, for sharing this wonderful wedding with us - and of course to Holly & Lime Photography for such beautiful pictures!

The Wedding Details

Ceremony: The Church of the Immaculate Conception, Strabane, Co. Tyrone